Psychological and psychotherapeutical work

In our hospital personal characteristics and peculiarities of intelect are studied by the art of psychodiagnostics (texts, scales, conversations, projection methods etc.)

The diagnostics often contributes to early detection of symptoms of psychological disorder and thus helps to start with the active therapy in due time.

The clinical psychologist discovers the signs of illness and ascertains the degree of its development, how much is a person’s working capability reduced and his psyche perserved. Resources are found to confront the illness.

Besides psychological diagnostics, we also study «social climate» that dominates the patient’s surroundings at home, after he checks out of the hospital. Obtained information direct further psychotherapeutical work.

Individual Psychotherapy

Individual psychotherapy comprises individual work of a psychotherapist with a patient with the aim of providing psychological help to the patient who has problems, who is depressed, has post-traumatic stress disorder, worries, suffers from addictive behaviour, personality disorder.
Work with psychotherapist helps patient get rid of psychological traumas, emotional anxiety and suffering. The therapist trains the patient to live and work under the stress, how to keep his personal integrity and have a mature relationship with his loved ones, and that contributes to patient’s personal growth.

Group Psychotherapy

Group psychotherapy includes a psychotherapist working with a group of patients in order to solve patients’ internal conflicts, remove the tension and correct disruptures in behaviour.

Psychotherapeutical work enables everyone to express their own opinion about a topic of discussion, to share their experience with others, to look at themselves through somebody else’s eyes, to realise they are not alone with their problem and that it can be solved. In group psychotherapy special psychotherapeutical methods are implemented.

Psychotherapeutical Methods Applied in Our Hospital

Methods of Transpersonal Psychology and Holotropic Therapy

From the beginning of time people have used various methods to cure human psyche. For ages people have been using different rhythms, dances and songs to induce a special state which helped cure multiple diseases, they were “being born” for second time. They were in a state of trance, out of time and space.

Contemporary medicine acknowledges trance as a state of mind which has a healing effect. During trance a man gets double the amount of rest than during sleep, it triggers natural processes of regeneration of organism and positively influences stress induced diseases.

The transpersonal approach is popular in treating drug addiction, alcoholism, neurosis and psychosis. The basic method of transpersonal psychology is holotropic breathing.

What is behind this unusual monicker and how did it come to be? The etymology of this term begins with the Greek word “holes” = whole and “tropein” = leading. Therefore, the holotropic breathing can be considered to be “breathing that leads to wholeness”.

The holotropic breathing represents one of the most powerful forms of modern psychotherapy, self-awareness amd personal growth. It has been efficient in treating stress, neurotic states, addiction, psychosomatic and emotional disorders.

The holotropic breathing is a combination of controled breathing, stimulating music and a special kind of working on one’s body. The breathing leads to vital chemical changes in body which are intensified due to stimulating sounds and emotions. This is natural method without side effects regarding organism.

The extraordinary states of mind caused by holotropic breathing induce internal healing powers of spirit and body, pushing to the surface difficult emotinal states and unpleasant physical sensations. A man solves this problem by openly confronting it. In this way he cleanses himself from old traumas and opens door to new experiences and sensations.

Pranayamas

Pranayamas are special breathing exercises. Ancient yogis have discovered that, when they control their breathing, they can control life force and life itself.

The word “pranayama” consists of two sanskrit words – “prana” = energy, strength and “jama” = calming down. Prana is spent when a person thinks, wants, moves, talks, writes etc. A healthy and strong man has prana in abundance. Prana reserves are added to by food, drink, air, sun energy, etc. Lack of prana in a body can take form of sleepiness, insecurities, feeling of restraint, weakness, apathy or depression, which can lead to illness.

The breathing exercises have no side effectsand can be conducted at any age. Thanks to pranayamas blood rich in oxygen actively circulates through all the body parts. Strength and energy circulate the body. In addition, numerous pranayamas make inhalation and exhalation slower and that slows down aging process and leads to longevity. Pranayamas help solve many psychological problems, and if they practice this kind of breathing regularly, people easily give up smoking and other kinds of addiction.

“Vivation”Technique

This is a breathing technique whose name means “celebrating life”. It is used to clear the way and reach repressed worries, so they could emerge to the surface and free the person from accumulated problems.

This breathing leads to relaxation, renews perception and focuses thinking. The patient feels pleasure and starts to observe life from a different angle. He also becomes more interested for what he is doing, he reacts less emotionally to unpleasant situations, he is more creative and focused.

The aim of this technique is to help patient build a friendly relationship to reality, to strive for happiness and improve emotional life, to feel alive in the present and to celebrate life.

Yoga

Yoga is a special praxis of body and spirit self-perfectioning. There are numerous schools of yoga, however, all of them practice some mandatory elements: certain pureness of thought and emotion, concentration (meditation), healthy nutrition, breathing exercises and special positions – asanas. All of these help fortify breathing system, improve blood flow, straighten body posture, firm muscles, vestibular aparattus and contribute to inflow of life force, determination and self-assuredness.

Yoga is useful to everyone, regardless of gender, age or physical state. It strengthens the organism and fills the whole body with life energy and spiritual power. Asides from spiritual rebirth, previously lost physical and mental health returns.

Meditation comprises exercises for focusing attention with the aim of healing and regaining control over one’s thoughts and emotions. During these exercises body is relaxed, emotions do not show and a person is “separated” from her surroundings. According to Eastern lore meditation is a process during which man can reach “enlightment”. It is a developing process which provides a man with new experiences in intelectual, philosophical and existential spheres.

Meditation is applied with the aim of removing psychological tension, physical pain and as a method of combating stress. Brain and nervous system begin to work more rationally. Physical energy is accumulated instead of being wasted. Our habits depend on the neurological paths of electrochemical processes in the brain and nervous system. Thanks to meditation an abundance of new neurological paths is created and psychological energy is asigned differently, which brings about the closing of harmful neurological paths. A man can easily stop smoking, consuming alcohol or narcotics, overeating etc.

Bodily Oriented Psychotherapy

Bodily oriented psychotherapy is a teaching based on the principle of unity of body and psyche. Body is connected with psyche. By influencing body we can restore spiritual balance and happiness.

This kind of therapy enables a person to free themselves from chronical tension and accumulated exhaustion, it improves the mood and boosts the quality of life. It helps a man to feel good, it removes muscle cramps, frees the accrued life energy which represents the base of the healthy person’s functioning, it helps them feel “the ground beneath their feet”, reach stability and safety.

When a man becomes aware of his sensations, a therapeutical effect is obtained that removes many neurotic states and problems. And when a person physically frees themselves from repressed worries, a change in personality happens.

Special Psychophysical Gymnastics

It is not possible to feel well psychologically, unless you are physically healthy. Walking and pursuing some sport, especially swimming, aerobics and yoga contribute to health by comprising psychophysical gymnastics.
Special psychophysical gymnastics represents physical exercise and certain kind of breathing combined with suggestion. As a result, supplying the brain with blood is boosted, memory is improved, as well as attention, mental (psychological) working capacity, and functions of autonomic nervous system. This method is preventative against irritability, nervous tension, stress, blood vessel tonus. By putting these exercises into use the elasticity of spine is improved. Suggestion helps person calm down, become more at peace.

Autogenous Training

Autogenous training is a psychotherapeutic method which brings into balance homeostatic mechanisms within organism undermined by stress. It is efficient in treating neurosis, functional disorders and psychosomatic diseases, as well as in treating addiction.

Autogenous training removes tension, fears and agitation and makes a person feel relaxed and self-assured. Organism possesses enormous hidden resources that have been barely studied to this day. Autogenous training enables conscious control of these powerful resources.

Relaxation

The quality of our life depends a great deal on the state our body is in. Unfortunately, our concern about our body is often limited to hygiene and cosmetical procedures. Only when a man feels the pain, exhaustion or fatigue, does he start to take care of himself.

Emotional and physical tension during the life leaves a mark on our body. Discomfort, bad mood, anxiety and lack of self-confidence all influence the body. In order to prevent this state, there is a relaxation technique that removes psychological tension and has a wide implementation in psychotherapy, hypnosis, self-hypnosis, yoga, etc.

This efficient relaxation technique is based on simple physiological fact that after a period of strong tension every muscle is automatically deeply relaxed. In order to accomplish deep relaxation of every skeletal muscle, it is necessary to strain them either at the same time or successively but hard, and then focus on relaxation that overwhelms the muscles.

Dance Therapy

For thousands of years dance was a way of expressing thoughts and feelings. Today, dance is used in psychotherapy. Emotions are spontaneously released in free movement and improvisation, and the style is irrelevant. Dancing and music stimulate endorphine synthesis, which helps person deal with stress and depression.

Obvious benefit from dancing is in learning about oneself, self-evaluation, improving physical health and ability to adapt. Dance therapy enables trying out new forms of behaviour. Dance realeses repressed emotions and discovers hidden conflicts that can be the cause of psychological tension. Besides that, person is liberated from anxienty, fear, agression, feeling of guilt, etc.

Art Therapy

Art therapy is a method of psychological self-expression. It makes a person able to free themselves from repressed psychological experiences and negative emotions, and express them through art.

Result of this method is experimenting with feelings at zhe symbolic level. Drawings can show all kinds of subconscious processes including fears, conflicts, childhood memories, reveries.

Art therapy methods are founded on a presumption that an inner “I” is reflected in visual forms as soon as the person begins to paint spontaneously.

Art therapy is a way to release strong emotions (it helps to express rage, pain, anxiety, fear). This method speeds up therapeutical process and help diagnostics. It also leads to affirmation of personal value.

Symbol Drama

Symbol drama is a psychotherapeutical technique based on visualisation. The basis of this method is imaginary walks through landscapes that evoke memories and feelings.

Uncounscious “I” does not know words, but thinks in pictures. This method enables communication with our subconsciousness on the image level: to express (anger), to forgive (an insult), to forgive (a parent). Classical images of symbol drama will set into motion memories or fantasies about nature, archetypical images connected to situations in life, current needs and conflicts.

This method is very efficient with short-termed treatment of neurosis, depression, phobias and psychosomatic diseases.. It has been effectively applied to cancer treatment, and difficult cases of persistent depression. Significant changes occur after several initial sessions: pain is removed, as well as tension, solutions to impossible situations are found, safety and stability are regained.

Transactional Analysis

Every person carries within themselves a Parent, an Adult and a Child, three states of our “I”, that are demonstrated in different life situations: we assess a situation objectively and reach decisions (as an Adult), we demand or take care of someone (as a Parent), and we fantasise, we are obedient or disobedient (as a Child).

Transactional analysis is efficient in solving problems like phobias and addictions. Transactional analysists help people who have difficulties making contact with others, who are to timid, insecure or agressive. This method is also applied when solving problems between spouses – psychotherapist discovers in which «I» states do they most often find themselves in the moment of communication and helps husband and wife to understand each other better and to build or renew closeness. Transactional analysis also helps when solving problems of personal development, misunderstandings between parents and children, as well as with choosing a life path.

This method helps person change, to become a normal Child again, to strengthen the position of a Parent who is tired from fighting, to learn how to solve their problems from the position of an Adult and to regain confidence in oneself and one’s inner strength.

Family Psychotherapy

Family psychotherapy is a method of psychological help during which a psychotherapist works with entire family or with several members of a family. Family is observed as a unique social system which functions according to its special laws.

Family psychotherapy is a special kind of psychological consulting oriented towards solving problems in mutual family relationships, removing conflicts between spouses, establishing harmony and similar. Family therapy is especially important when solving problems with alcoholism and drug addiction.

In psychotherapy, good music is precious. It breaths life into old emotions, and also gives meaning and importance to experienced things. Prolonged listening to music makes experiencing difficult things in life easier, removes psychological blockade, calms and frees. Specially picked music can awaken hidden agression, physical pain and senses, stimulate disposition and emotions.

Work Therapy

Work therapy consists of active method of renewing working ability of a patient. Work therapy is a systematical training of everyday moves and renewing of unheeded motoric functions. This therapy normalises psyche and represents integral part of rehabilitation of a patient. Work enriches life of a patient with a new content and averts attention from discomforting thoughts.

Family Group Psychotherapy

Family group psychotherapy in our hospital is conducted twice a week and comprises work with patients and their parents. In groups the following topics are dealt with: notion of addiction disease and understaning of the nature of addiction, stages of development of the addiction disease in family; establishing cooperation and mutual struggle to successful apstinence; lists of activities of cooperants and addict after being released from hospital; five steps to more open communication with family and maintaining apstinence; consequences of addiction within family; mistakes and misapprehensions of parents whose children have problems with addiction diseases; rules of behaviour during apstinence: codependence of family members and apstinence; directions to families of addicts; acceptance of communication and social skills and meaning of family support during resocialisation – life without manipulation and lies; planning of further realistic goals and activities with the support of family, reducing the need for competition, spectacular success and setting realistic goals of success; improving motivation through realising monthly and daily plans during apstinence; directions for successful resocialisation.
Individual and Group Education

During the treatment educational group and individual work on the topic of addiction diseases is planned. The following topics are considered: notion and understanding of addiction disease; factors of the developing of the disease and misapprehensions about the disease; inner and external triggers; physical, psychological, professional and social consequences; properties of addictive behaviour; rules of behaviour during apstinence and resocialisation.

Trainings of Developing Communication Skills

Patients are in group educated on adaptive behaviour. Adaptive behaviour is a set of conceptual, social and practical skills that patients learn in order to function better in everyday life.
Desirable forms of behaviour approved of society are operated with. The highlight is being put on helping the patients master communication skills, as well as control their emotions. They are trained in skills of career planning and decision making, they learn to overcome anxiety, perfect their communication skills, gain self-confidence, learn to solve those problems that brought them into the group.

Hypnosis

Hypnosis is a natural phenomenon, state of extremely focused attention, state before falling asleep or after waking up. People are often not aware that they are in a state of mild trance. The point of hypnosis is being open to suggestion. It is a natural focused state of mind when the unconscious mind (unconsciousness) functions without meddling of the conscious mind and in this state patient is more open to suggestion, but this openness to suggestion does not function according to the “everything or nothing” principle. Hypnotisers are in everyday life present at raising children. They are our parents, teachers, priests, politicians, newspaper, TV and other authorities.

In the state of trance the unconscious mind is separated from the conscious, analytic mind. In this state a person reacts to suggestion more completely and creatively. It is necessary to invest certain mental effort in order to enter the state of trance.

What is also characteristic for hypnosis is selective attention, which assumes that attention is directed to certain stimuli, while at the same time ignoring others. In trance the senses become sharper and attention seems to be a magnifying glass, and everything we put underneath becomes magnified.

Imagination is important as well. Anything that we cannot imagine, we cannot accomplish, which represents openness for suggestion. Imagination, like real experiences in life, can trigger emotional reaction. It is a constituent part of the hypnosis.

Sport and Recreation

During stationary treatment in the hospital regular sport activities (snoocker, table tennis, gym, etc.), walks in fresh air and physiotherapy (massages, methods of treatments with apparatus) are planned. All this is necessary in order to normalise and maintain psychophysical state of a patient, to afford him some rest, help him adjust to the new way of life after checking out of the hospital and to strengthen protective and regenerating potentials of organism.